AndyA

Arequipa is located in South Central Peru several hundred miles southeast of Lima and it is nestled at the base of four volcanoes. Needless to say, the city has been rocked by natural disasters over the years—earthquakes, eruptions, etc. Fortunately for us, the only “disaster” we faced was the questionable quality of the hotel during our one night trip to the Colca Canyon. After experiencing Lima, it was great to see the sun out, and to find the city much more cozy and friendly. The Plaza de Armas, the main square in town was truly stunning; I could imagine a very similar scene with the outdoor restaurants, large church and bustling crowd somewhere in Spain. We stayed in Arequipa from Tuesday to Sunday due to flight availability, and this was a little on the long side. ... read more

For those of you who have not yet heard, I recently accepted a job with Bottlenotes, an Internet wine company, based in Palo Alto. I will be moving back to San Francisco at the beginning of August. As soon as I received the offer, I immediately looked into places that American miles would take me. Luckily tickets to Lima were available. My best friend from Kellogg, Raquel, is also coming along for the two week trip. Since it is last minute, it was challenging to find some of the domestic flights at reasonable prices so we ended up with three stops on the itinerary: Lima, Arequipa and Cusco, the jumpoff point to visit Machu Picchu. I'll probably only shoot out a few new entries over the next couple weeks, so keep an eye out.... read more

There has been one date with a big "X" on my calendar for my summer travels: August 9th. Koh Phangan, Thailand. Full Moon Party. There was so much ridiculousness there that I have to skip ahead of my last two blog entries to share what I witnessed (and participated in). To give you an idea of the magnitude of this party, begin by picturing a large crescent shaped beach, about a mile long. At both ends of the beach you see hotels decorated with bright, Christmas tree-like lights. Beginning in the middle of the beach with Catcus, the stretch of bars goes on and on to Zoom and the Drop In. The one area where there is a break in the bars is a knockoff 7-11, and in front of it on the beach, there is ... read more

Sapa was easily one of my favorite stops in all of Vietnam. If you only have a week or less to spend in Vietnam, then I would definitely recommend flying into Hanoi and spending a couple days there in addition to Halong Bay. Originally it was not on my itinerary and my friend, Polly, who had been to Vietnam the year before, suggested that I cut something out (sorry, Hue) to go to Sapa instead. This small village is nestled in the highest mountain range in the country and is just south of the Chinese border. The only convenient way to access it is via overnight train from Hanoi. The drama surrounding my train tickets easily could have ruined a trip to a less amazing place, but after seeing the incredible landscape, the only thing important ... read more

Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, had a different feel than Saigon, which was more hectic and more developed. The city center is right at Lake Hoan Kiem, which is only about a square mile. Just to the north of the lake is Old Town, a series of streets named for the different shops that line each one, like "Silk Street" on "Hash Steet" all in Vietnamese of course. I spent my first afternoon on a self guided walking tour of this area, making my way through both heavy and light rain. I began at a restaurant called Cha Ca La Vong, which takes the kamakazi approach and serves only one dish--Cha Ca, or grilled white fish. You climb up a skinny flight of stairs to the second floor, where you are presented with a small laminated card that ... read more